San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York may be avoiding social media after he was arrested last month for allegedly attempting to arrange a meeting with a prostitute at an Ohio trailer park.
Since news of his arrest became public, York has been subjected to intense ridicule online given the salacious nature of the allegations made against him.
In NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin, though, York seems to have at least one prominent person who sees no need to criticize his recent legal troubles.
“He got divorced five, six months ago,” Irvin said about York while appearing on a recent livestream with popular internet personality N3on. “And I’m like, ‘Come on, man. Is that really a crime?'”
The 49ers owner has been married to wife, Danielle Belluomini, for over 15 years, and the couple had two sons together. After news of York’s arrest emerged, TMZ reported that York filed for a divorce this past May; the divorce had not yet been finalized at the time York was taken into custody.
Given that York is in the midst of divorce proceedings, Irvin continued to defend the 46-year-old owner. York was accused of responding to an ad on a known prostitution website before arranging a meeting in exchange for $140.
Unbeknownst to York, he was actually communicating with a member of the Mahoning Valley Human trafficking Task Force, which apprehended him after he arrived at the discussed meeting location.
“Let that man go. Leave that alone,” Irvin, who turned 60 years old in March, continued. “Imagine if you’re going through a divorce, and some young girl, some pretty girl come up to you hitting on you. And she’s undercover. You don’t know (that).”
“Everybody’s paying for it,” the former Dallas Cowboys and Miami Hurricanes star receiver added. “You got a girlfriend? You take her out to eat, you’re paying for it. So what are we doing? Why we gotta embarrass this man for 140 dollars?
“People think, ‘You’re a billionaire, why didn’t you go to high end places?’ The high end places get you in trouble all the time.”
Video of Irvin’s comments about York’s arrest can be seen below.
York was arrested by the East Palestine Police Department, and he was born in nearby Youngstown, Ohio. In the months prior to his arrest, York moved into a house owned by his parents there, according the New York Post.
York was initially charged with one count of possessing criminal tools and one count of engaging in prostitution, but the prostitution charge was reduced to disorderly conduct, according to Forbes.
York was released on a $5,000 bond, and then pleaded no contest to the two charges. As a result, York was sentenced to two days in jail, credited for time served, and ordered to pay $1,150 in fines.
York became the 49ers CEO in 2008 and the principal owner in 2024 after purchasing more shares from his mother, Denise York. The York family, estimated to be worth approximately $8.5 billion, has been associated with the franchise since 1977, when Denise York’s father, Edward DeBartolo Sr., paid $13 million for ownership rights.
York could face potential discipline from the NFL based on the personal conduct policy, but the league has not commented since last month, saying it was reviewing the matter on the day York resolved his case in court.
York’s 49ers are scheduled to open the 2026-27 NFL season on Thursday against the NFC West-rival Los Angeles Rams in Australia. The game will be shown on the Netflix streaming platform.
